JACK C. FERGUSON, LTJG, USN

Jack Ferguson '35

Date of birth: July 24, 1913

Date of death: November 6, 1941

Age: 28

Lucky Bag

From the 1935 Lucky Bag:

JACK CATES FERGUSON

Palestine, Texas

"Jack" "Fergy"

EVER since he can remember, Jack has longed for the call of the sea; so Texas rewarded her product by sending him off to Uncle Sam's Naval Academy. Concerning academics, Jack has had his ups and downs with the rest of us, but he has always been able to find time for a good old chat with friends, of whom there are many. Fergy says that one of his big ambitions is to be a bachelor, but we'd venture to say that the femmes will have something to say about that. A true friend and roommate, Jack's spirit will carry him wherever he goes.

M.P.O.

JACK CATES FERGUSON

Palestine, Texas

"Jack" "Fergy"

EVER since he can remember, Jack has longed for the call of the sea; so Texas rewarded her product by sending him off to Uncle Sam's Naval Academy. Concerning academics, Jack has had his ups and downs with the rest of us, but he has always been able to find time for a good old chat with friends, of whom there are many. Fergy says that one of his big ambitions is to be a bachelor, but we'd venture to say that the femmes will have something to say about that. A true friend and roommate, Jack's spirit will carry him wherever he goes.

M.P.O.

Loss

Jack was lost on November 6, 1941 when the scout bomber he was piloting crashed at Border Field, San Diego.

He was survived by his wife and parents.

Other Information

He earned his wings as naval aviator #6948 on December 2, 1940.

From researcher Kathy Franz:

Jack was appointed to the Naval Academy by Congressman Briggs and spent several years in the Asiatic fleet. He transferred to the air arm of the navy two years previous to his death. He married the former Willena Whitcomb, socially prominent daughter of a San Diego bank executive, in the spring of 1941.
Jack’s parents were Mr. and Mrs. Reagan Ferguson of Palestine, Texas. His father was a Missouri Pacific Railway conductor. His two brothers were Reagan Jr., of Albuquerque and Pat Ferguson of Palestine.

Jack is buried in California.

Photographs

Anthony J. Fraimo/Trainor – 830 Tintoraline – The Bronx, NYC. Law Office at 614 St. Anns Ave – The Bronx, NYC and Midshipman Jack Cates Ferguson – U.S.Navy – Son of Ben Ferguson’s brother Reagan Ferguson in Washington, D. C. 1930-32. The photo caption says: Tony, Jack, My Ford. Photo is from the William Blackshear collection, donated to the Palestine Public Library. The car is parked behind the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D. C.

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.